"The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943)

“The Ox-Bow Incident” (1943) - Intro

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Intro:

Hi everybody and welcome to Turner Classic Movies. I’m your host, Keith Carradine. This month we will be highlighting Westerns and Tonight’s topic of discussion: ‘Barroom Brawls.’ Our next barroom brawl is a little bit more somber. From 1943, it’s: “The Ox-Bow INcident.” The film was based off the Walter Clark anti-lynching novel with the same title. The novel, which was released in 1940, is a powerful tale centered on the small, weathering, town of Bridger’s

Wells, Nevada. Newcomers Henry Fonda and Garry Morgan arrive in town and head over to the local saloon where shortly thereafter a local cowboy arrives at the saloon to announce that rancher Larry Kinkiad has been killed by “rustlers.” The townsfolk quickly mount their horses and ride after the rustlers. The film alludes to the dangers of rushing to judgment and the ethos of a mob mentality, which in this film, turns average citizens into blood thirty, fear mongering, criminals. The story is thought provoking and powerful, dramatic and blunt, and has a clear and explicit message. Director William Wellman, for some time, had been looking to direct a film with a social message. Upon reading the novel, Wellman was thoroughly impressed. But studio executives felt that the subject matter would be too depressing for audiences and that they would be hard pressed to turn a profit. Wellman did eventually find a producer to greenlight his film, producer Darryl Zanuck, who similarly had enjoyed the novel. He too was convinced the film would make no money. Zanuck told Wellman, “You can do it, but it won’t make a cent.” Before agreeing to produce the film, Zanuck had Wellman agree to sign a five-year-contract with 20th Century Fox in which Wellman would be contractually obligated to direct one film per year for the following five years; but to Wellman it was all worth it. He later claimed he’d do anything for “The Ox-Bow Incident.” When the film was finally released in 1943, as predicted by Zanuch and other studioheads the film was a box office failure. However, as predicted by William Wellman, the critics loved it. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for ‘Best Picture’ and was narrowly beaten out by Casablanca (a film agreed amongst many film historians as one of the greatest films of all time). From director William Wellman Featuring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Anthony Quinn, and Mary Beth Hughes, here is: “The Ox-bow Incident”*******

“The Ox-Bow Incident” (1943) - Outro

Written by: Josh Lansky

TCM’s “The Essentials”

Outro:

Henry Fonda’s characterization of Gil Carter in “The Ox-Bow Incident” is powerful and heartfelt, commanding, and sincere. Fonda himself had once witnessed a lynching as a child which he later said effected him deeply. In an interview years later Fonda reflected back on his role in “The Ox-Bow Incident” as one of the few films he did at Fox in which he took great pride in. But it might surprise people to hear what Fonda did after making “The Ox-Bow Incident.” Fonda was a proud and honorable man. After Pearl Harbor, many of Fonda’s friends and peers began enlisting in the service. There was Tyrone Power who joined the Marines, Clark Gable and Jimmy Stewart who joined the Air Corps, and Fonda, who despite aging past the cut-off date, felt as though he needed to enlist. The day after Fonda finished his work with “The Ox-Bow Incident,” he packed up his car and headed for boot camp in San Diego. The thirty-eight year old Henry Fonda had just enlisted in the United States Navy. Coming up, another Western and another ‘Barroom Brawl’: starring Marlene Dietrich, James Stewart, and Mischa Auer it’s: “Destry Rides Again.”

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